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Student Volunteers

Undergraduate and graduate student volunteers help with the administration of the conference and also have the opportunity to participate in student-oriented activities, including professional development workshops and technical talks by famous researchers and industry leaders.

In exchange for volunteering, students receive complimentary conference registration and meals. Conference registration provides access to all tutorials and workshops, technical talks, panels, the Tech Program reception, and much more. There is some support for housing and limited support for transportation expenses (such as airfare), but this assistance is generally available only for international students and students from groups that traditionally have been underrepresented in HPC (African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, the physically challenged, and women). So, we encourage you to seek funding from your institution for housing and transportation expenses. See below for some tips. Please apply first, then seek funding. If you are unable to obtain funding to support your travel, notify us. We will evaluate applications and distribute available funds on a case-by-case basis.

Believe it or not, academic institutions are used to people looking for funds, so there are many different offices and organizations that you can contact to seek support for your travel. When you seek support, be prepared to describe how participating in the student volunteer program and SC conference will benefit you directly and your department (indirectly). Always remember that if you’re not successful at a particular office, ask them for advice on where to seek funds. It’s often the case that many different offices or organizations will contribute to your travel, so be prepared to tell whomever you’re requesting funds from whom you’ve already talked to and what funds (if any) you have already secured. You should take notes during this process so that you can keep everything straight!

Here’s a list of places and people to ask:

Your advisor. Whether you’re an undergraduate or graduate, you likely have an advisor. This person may or may not be able to directly support your travel to SC, but, if they can’t directly help you, they may give you some good ideas on who can!

Your Department Head. Most departments actually set aside money just for student travel. If you tell them you’ve been accepted to the student volunteer program at SC and tell them what you will gain from this experience, they will likely support you!

Your Dean. The dean’s office also typically has discretionary funds for this purpose. This should not be a scary thing – deans actually love to see students, especially those who are active in their research communities. You will make their day by going to see them!

Association of Students or other student groups. These organizations also have funds available to students for conference travel. Keep in mind that these organizations sometimes only meet monthly, so contact them early to get information on the procedure and time frame for requesting funds.

Vice President or Chancellor for Research. Call the main number this office and explain that you’re a student seeking conference travel funds. The person who answers the phone will likely direct you to the right person to talk to in the office.

College Research Dean and College Education Dean. Again, call the office main number and explain that you’re a student seeking conference travel funds. You will likely be directed to the right person to ask in the office. You may be required to make an appointment to see the dean. If this is the case, have your short “speech” prepared. These people are busy and don’t have time to extract the nature of your request from you!

Graduate School. Just because you’re an undergrad doesn’t mean you can’t request funds from the grad school. You may be a future grad student! The grad school does have funds to support student activities such as conference travel. Call the main office number to determine to whom you should talk about your request.

Again, don’t be afraid to go to these people to ask for funds. Young students who are active in their research community and who have been accepted to a program such as SC Student Volunteers is impressive. It makes these people feel good about their jobs and themselves to actually help students, so don’t deny them of that satisfaction!